Book Review: Relief Pitch

Debt relief may sound boring, a topic best relegated to policy wonks and academics. But of late, the subject has seemed almost, well, sexy. At the annual meeting of world leaders at Davos, Switzerland, in January, one of the most exciting moments followed an impassioned speech by President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, who proclaimed that his country can do nothing about poverty so long as it is burdened with heavy debt payments. Sharon Stone leaped to her feet and called for the stunned audience to help--and promptly raised some $100,000. But after the stars fade from the headlines, it's easy to...